1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electronic instrumentation such as flight control instrumentation, and more particularly to displays providing improved presentation of desired information.
2. Description of the Related Art
Effective flight management of aircraft is closely related to providing accurate and timely information to the pilot. This should be done in a manner that succinctly but accurately conveys to the pilot information important to the safe operation of the aircraft.
A principal flight instrumentation display is the Primary Flight Display (PFD) which shows information about course, speed, altitude, rate of climb and other information. The PFD is usually an electronic display such as a cathode ray tube or back-lit liquid crystal display.
Because of the already crowded and busy nature of the PFD screen, it is difficult to add new information in a manner that can be easily and quickly grasped by the pilot. In general, the new information almost always has to be placed in an already defined field on the display. However, it cannot replace unrelated essential information. For example, more detailed navigation information cannot be placed in the display area reserved for a different category of information such as speed, altitude, heading, etc.
Various devices for magnifying video are proposed in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,959,605, issued to D. L. Gilblom, entitled “Video Magnifier” discloses a method and device for selectively displaying a magnified image which permits an operator to appreciate the magnified image in its original context. The device includes a main monitor, a magnifier monitor, associated memories, and a controller. The magnifier monitor is movably mounted with respect to the main monitor. The position of the magnifier monitor in two dimensions represents the approximate center of a region on the main monitor to be magnified. The magnifier monitor is movable in a third dimension, and the position of the magnifier in the third dimension is used to determine the degree of magnification desired.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,927,782, issued to P. Coldefy, et al., entitled “Airport Display Device” discloses a display device that comprises display means including a screen, a data base provided with data on the airport, an actuating system for selecting a degree of zoom, a central unit that controls the display means such that it shows the airport on the screen according to a scale value representative of a selected degree of zoom, and a means making it possible to parameterize scale values. The display means shows the airport solely in plan view on the screen, and the central unit controls it such that it shows on the screen details, according to one of a plurality of different levels of detail, each of the levels of detail being dependent on the selected degree of zoom
These and other prior art references do not address the problem related to the crowded nature of the primary flight displays in aircraft.